History has informed the present, as surely as the present will inform the future. As an evolving society, we are continually reflecting on the events and experiences of the past, taking stock of the issues and realities of the present, and then adapting the parameters, definitions and constructs that serve to define acceptability and reason as we…

Twenty-eight biological and adoptive White mothers of non-White children were interviewed in New Zealand and in the United States. Through a thematic analysis of transcribed interviews and interview notes, 7 primary themes emerged (a) looking like a family means looking alike and looking White, (b) mothering as vulnerability, (c) teen girls'…

This meta-synthesis of empirical and nonempirical literature analyzed 24 journal articles and book chapters that addressed the intersection of disability, [homo]sexuality, and gender identity/expression in P-12 schools, colleges and universities, supported living programs, and other educational and social contexts in Australia, Belgium, Canada,…

The need for more male role models in young boys' lives is one of the main reasons underpinning the call for more male teachers in primary schools. However, the exact responsibilities and attributes associated with the term "male role model" have yet to be clearly established. The purpose of this survey of 250 New Zealand primary school…

This paper examines an education programme devised by the New Zealand educational theatre company, "Everyday Theatre," which offers a fictional representation of family abuse. The paper raises political questions about the dramatic representation of the family as a social system, and examines how the boundaries between private feelings…

Professional development comes in many forms, some of which are deemed more useful than others. However, when groups of teachers are excluded, or exclude themselves, from professional development opportunities, then there is an issue of social justice. This article examines the experiences of a group of teachers from a Maori-medium school who…

The book is entitled History Wars in the Classroom: Global Perspectives and examines how ten separate countries have experienced debates and disputes over the contested nature of the subject, for example the "Black Armband" and "Whitewash" factions in Australia who adopt opposingly celebratory or denigratory views of Australian…

In this post 9/11 era Western cultures are focusing on values that support war and violence. In this article an ethnographer explores the impact of these values on schools. These values, seen through the lens of restorative justice, include: (a) punishment, (b) adversarial relationships, (c) monopolization of power, (d) problemization and…

In schools today inclusion involves a challenge to attitudes and expectations within educational communities. "The New Zealand Disability Strategy" (Minister for Disability Issues, 2001), is a guide for government action to promote a more inclusive society. Out of its 15 Objectives, Objective 1 encourages and educates the community and…

Women in colonial New Zealand did not have the variety of recreational options available in the "motherland" (Great Britain). Nevertheless, there was a social climate of acceptance if not for the female athlete then certainly for the woman eager to enjoy the fun and freedom of recreational activities. In New Zealand, the social class…

This research captures some of the complexity of cultural adjustments such as race relations, cultural misunderstandings, and integration, through an examination of the thoughts and feelings of Maori University graduates in New Zealand. (Author/DE)

Although the New Zealand government is spending millions of dollars to teach the Maori language in preschool language nests and immersion primary schools, its language policies are unlikely to succeed because they do not address the perceived low social status of the language. A marketing paradigm outlines how language can be viewed as a product…

This paper offers a New Zealand perspective on disability and rehabilitation, as seen by an American resident. Three major themes are noted: the importance of the concept of accidents in New Zealand society, Maori ideas about interdependence, and the social systems and social change approach as compared with the clinical treatment approach to…

A study examined the quest for social equity by one adult education institution in New Zealand. It placed social equity in the wider context of recent developments in New Zealand society and explored models for conceptualizing social change. These models included the adaptive framework, helping/coping strategies, and allocation policies. A social…

In response to Jean Anyon ("Social Class and School Knowledge," Curriculum Inquiry 11:3-41), the author doubts four of Anyon's findings about social justification in the presentation of curricula in working-class schools. He finds greater diversity among schools than did Anyon and greater influence of ethnicity than of class. (JW)